Classic cuisine features modern accents at Lot 12 Public House

by Shawn Pillai

Lot 12 Public House in Berkeley Springs, WV

Lot 12 Public House in downtown Berkeley Springs, West Virginia is an inviting upscale restaurant that offers comfort and relaxation in the form of fine dining. Built in 1913, the house was purchased and renovated into a restaurant in 1999 by Chef Damien Heath and his wife, Betsy. A native of Berkeley Springs, Chef Heath is a graduate of the distinguished Baltimore International Culinary College and has trained under Executive Chef Peter Timmins, now head chef at The Greenbier, a world-famous resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Lot 12 is open for dinner only, starting at 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

Chef Heath and his wife, Betsy, opened Lot 12 Public House in 1999

In dining, atmosphere is important. The decor at Lot 12 features elegant, Victorian nuances while maintaining a level of casualness that encourages relaxation and warmth. Dark red and burgundy colors are used in abundance throughout the dining room to entice the appetite and seduce the pallet. The lighting is dim and the flicker of candlelight reflects off silverware and is refracted through glasses of water and wine placed about the table. The tables are draped with ivory linens to accentuate the colorful plates that are to be presented during dinner.

Diners peruse Lot 12's menu

Lot 12’s menu changes with each season, and that’s exactly how it should be. To ensure maximum quality, a good chef will redesign the menu three or four times a year to incorporate the foods that are in season. If a menu offers tomato caprese in the middle of winter, the tomatoes used will surely not compare in quality and flavor to the fresh heirloom tomatoes only available in the summer. The fall menu at Lot 12 features a wide variety of exciting, seasonal innovations that are sure to impress diners.

Left: Fresh bibb lettuce, red pear, honey herb vinaigrette, crumbled bleu cheese, red onion. Center: Crisp duck confit, grilled quail, braised heirloom beans with chorizo and jasmine rice. Right: Grilled New York strip, bacon mashed potatoes, mushroom confit, gorgonzola butter and balsamic reduction.

Left: Brined pork tenderloin, sweet potato hash, molasses rum sauce. Center: Braised lamb shank, creamy polenta, rosemary kalamata olive broth. Right: Grilled filet mignon, garlic mashed potatoes, port wine demi-glace.

Left: Diners are being served almond-crusted salmon, rosemary mashed potatoes, with fennel and carrot broth. Right: Lot 12's take on the classic ice cream sundae.

To make reservations at Lot 12 Public House, call 304.258.6264.